Bond Butte Pond Fishing Reports

[NKlamerus]

What a love hate relationship, I know there's fish in Bond Butte Pond, but I pick the craziest days to fish it. I got out there about 3pm, sunny, nearly 80 degrees no wind.

By the time I left it was overcast, high 50s, and the wind was blowing about 15 from the west. Could no longer feel my feet and had to go in before sunset.

Either way, more feeding bluegill than I've ever seen, at least in Oregon. I couldn't resist not going after some. Couldn't get a bait down fast enough to reach any of the larger ones. You could see them visibly feeding all over the lake.



Must have caught 30 or so in the 4" range before I got bored with them.

Check out the fry in the last photo, something has definitely already spawned? Gills usually go after bass though? In Florida anyways.

 

[bass]

Another nice report! Catching panfish is a ton of fun. Cool picture showing that the spawn has happened at Bond Butte. That must warm pretty fast compared to the big rivers (which makes sense). Willamette temps in Portland and in Newberg around 57F and holding. Smallmouth could be spawning but definitely largemouth are a little way off.

Thanks again for the report!

 

[fromthelogo]

Thanks for the report and pictures.

 

[nikita_pdx]

where is Bond Butte located? Google maps takes me to a quarry..

 

[bass]

where is Bond Butte located? Google maps takes me to a quarry..

I think you are on the right spot. Turn on satellite view and you will see a long skinny cut out pond paralleling I5. You can type these into google maps to drop right on the ramp: 44.324284, -123.058673

I only went there once to look at it (when I lived in Corvallis) but I never fished it. @NKlamerus seems like he has figured something out there.

 

[NKlamerus]

where is Bond Butte located? Google maps takes me to a quarry..

Use this address, it's the house next door (Google maps link)

Aggregate Resource Industries
33170 Bond Butte Dr, Harrisburg, OR 97446
https://maps.app.goo.gl/fFeUBqMV4XG5YdCU6

 

[NKlamerus]

This lake has some awesome fish in it, I see them posted all the time but I've never been able to connect. Until today!

3lbs 5oz, are a senko off a wind blown point.

Not as much bluegill activity, quite the algae spawn going on, looks like a bunch of green eyelashes floating in the water column?

 

[fromthelogo]

Nice fish. Are you fishing your Senkos wacky or Texas rigged?

 

[plumbertom]

All the blue gill I've caught there seem stunted.
Probably over populated.
If I remember correctly there needs to be a harvest ratio of 5 lbs of bluegill for every 1 lb of bass harvested from a water body to keep both populations in balance.

 

[NKlamerus]

Nice fish. Are you fishing your Senkos wacky or Texas rigged?

Texas rigged! Weightless, 3/0 wide gap worm hook but NOT a superline hook, just a standard gamakatsu.

The superline hooks are much heavier, and cause the senko to fall nose forward instead of horizontally

I have friends that throw wacky, I can't stand it. The places I'm throwing a senko are the same places that a wacky rig would get stuck in an instant, It also isn't as weedless in open water, smaller bass have trouble eating it, and it doesn't last as long

If I need something with more action I'll still rig it Texas, but about halfway down the bait instead of at the nose or tail

 

[NKlamerus]

All the blue gill I've caught there seem stunted.
Probably over populated.
If I remember correctly there needs to be a harvest ratio of 5 lbs of bluegill for every 1 lb of bass harvested from a water body to keep both populations in balance.

I've noticed the same, no huge ones but a ton of 4" gills around

Does odfw ever survey their lakes? Or shock them for counts?

 

[fromthelogo]

That's how I usually rig them also with a light wire hook. I'm hoping to get out on the Willamette on Wednesday and I'm going a Texas rigged Senko with a nail weight in the opposite end. I saw an Ike YouTube about this referring to it as the Tiny Child Rig.